Washermen of Mumbai`s iconic `Dhobi Ghat` to shift out to hi-rise buildings

Dhobi Ghat in Mumbai is an iconic structure spread across a sprawling 23 acres of land. It was constructed in 1890 to meet the needs of the British and Parsis living in Mumbai and is located adjacent to the Mahalaxmi station in south Mumbai. It consists of rows of open air concrete wash pens numbering 731 and a heavy flogging stone.
There are roughly 25,000 washermen who work here and they will move out from here and occupy tall towers, courtesy of a slum rehabilitation project.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 26 November 2016.

'Dhobi Ghat`, the scene of scores of Bollywood movies and the world`s largest open air laundromat, has entered the Guinness Book of World Record in 2013 for the largest number of people washing clothes simultaneously. It is as unique to Mumbai as are the dabbawallahs who pick up and deliver lunch boxes on time to lakhs of Mumbaikars daily.
The washerfolk live with their families in tiny slum dwellings surrounding the Dhobi Ghat. The century-old heritage site is also a major tourist destination.
The link of Dhobi Ghat with Bollywood is not new - director Kiran Rao (wife of Aamir Khan) had directed her first film named "Dhobi Ghat" (2011). And it had featured in movies like "Munnabhai MBBS", and Amitabh Bachchan`s "Don".


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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